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Author Topic: SW Walleye  (Read 2991 times)

Offline squirrel-master

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SW Walleye
« on: Jan 21, 2022, 07:52 AM »
Anyone know some lakes in SW Michigan that a guy can get a walleye through the ice? Always focused on panfish with the occasional northern on a tip up, but I'll be heading to a tourney in WI in mid-February that has walleye included as eligible fish. Just want to get in a little practice and not go into that tourney never catching a walleye through the ice. Any help would be appreciated. I'm in the Kalamazoo area, but wouldn't mind a little drive if need be.

Offline SKIFFLAKEJIMMY

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #1 on: Jan 21, 2022, 08:43 AM »
I have been trying for a walleye thru the ice for a loooong time. With no luck. I will be watching this post!  ;D
Thank you Lord for thinkin bout me. I'm alive and doin fine!!!!!!

Offline MC_angler

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #2 on: Jan 21, 2022, 08:54 AM »
https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/fishstock/

Search for walleyes stocked in the last 5ish years in whatever counties you are willing to drive to nearby

Offline hotnate24

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #3 on: Jan 21, 2022, 08:56 AM »
The Walleye fishing on this side is limited to a few spots and most guys that know a thing or 2 are tight lipped fir good reason. Muskegon Lake is the best, Gun Lake has some, your best bet is to find someone on a private lake that stocks them. Hopefully one of the experts can PM you some hints because they are smart to keep that info tight to the vest. Good Luck. 

Offline squirrel-master

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #4 on: Jan 21, 2022, 10:33 AM »
Thanks for the MI DNR link, that's neat. I figured some help would be worth a shot.

Offline scout 2

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #5 on: Jan 21, 2022, 10:37 AM »
https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/fishstock/

Search for walleyes stocked in the last 5ish years in whatever counties you are willing to drive to nearby
[/quote`]Many times lake associations get a permit to do a stocking of fish and I don't think that is onthe DNR's list. I know of 2 lkae north of Kazoo that this happened at ears ago. One is a very large lake but I do not know how the end results turned out. There are severl lakes in Yankee Springs that have them in them but these are small lakes and will not stand the pressure of a lot of people fishing them. One lake it use tobe quite commo to get some large walletyes out of it many over 25 inches. I am sure it has been fished out now


Offline MC_angler

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #6 on: Jan 21, 2022, 10:54 AM »
They are supposed to get a permit from the DNR if it is a private plant, and then it does go in the database

If you look at the link there are plenty of private plants listed in the states stocking data

Offline SpartySturg

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #7 on: Jan 21, 2022, 11:31 AM »
East end of Muskegon or White Lake is probably the best option I know of.
Muskegon being a little better.
They are there
Getting them to bite is another thing.

Offline scout 2

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #8 on: Jan 21, 2022, 03:12 PM »
They are supposed to get a permit from the DNR if it is a private plant, and then it does go in the database

If you look at the link there are plenty of private plants listed in the states stocking data
Go back about10 years and see of Miner lake is on there. They did  a private plant on HL this year and will finish on the spring under a permit  they got. I have not looked at the charts in a long while but use to be they ay or may not be on them. I have been told Wolf lake by Kazoo use to get a lot of fish dumped into it

Offline Doeslayer

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #9 on: Jan 21, 2022, 09:10 PM »
Something ive noticed
Dont take too much of the advice off of the guys that fish in canada from YouTube... Not that it isnt sound advice but michigan walleyes tend to me more scarce and live in odd places on lakes where they are not native..... I have a lake i fish that has eyes and they are just not where they are supposed to be... In the summer i cstch em in about 8 feet of water top water bass fishing.... I think someone forgot to tell them they are walleye and they are confused lol
Catch and release, into the grease!
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Offline SKIFFLAKEJIMMY

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #10 on: Jan 22, 2022, 07:00 AM »
Something ive noticed
Dont take too much of the advice off of the guys that fish in canada from YouTube... Not that it isnt sound advice but michigan walleyes tend to me more scarce and live in odd places on lakes where they are not native..... I have a lake i fish that has eyes and they are just not where they are supposed to be... In the summer i cstch em in about 8 feet of water top water bass fishing.... I think someone forgot to tell them they are walleye and they are confused lol
We caught them in late spring in 3 feet of water off Luna Pier.
Thank you Lord for thinkin bout me. I'm alive and doin fine!!!!!!

Offline noahiceahollic

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #11 on: Jan 22, 2022, 11:02 AM »
If you can get out on sandy pines or lake Monterey I have seen a local resident do good, but he would keep lines out all night and check at dawn. I have caught walleye through ice on gun, macatawa, and maple. Best is lakes bays off lake Michigan and gets better towards end of season when staging for spawning, just my opinion. Also got two browns out of maple dead sticking. Good luck takes patience and can be frustrating putting in lots of time jigging with no action when you can switch to pinkish and at least catch something.

Offline wilsonmi

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #12 on: Jan 23, 2022, 07:46 AM »
Look for the lakes that have had several stockings in the past 3 to 10 years, particularly fall fingerling stockings.  Walleye in SW lower grow fast and reach legal size sometime in year 3 so fish planted in 2019 and earlier should be legal.  The smaller lakes down here aren't anything like the well known walleye lakes to the north, but they do provide an opportunity to catch walleye, especially for those who put the time in to learn the individual lakes.  As for summer, the walleye will be concentrated near the thermocline and will sometimes feed in the warmer waters above it.  The oxygen levels below the thermocline in southern Michigan in the summer go quickly to zero.  In the smaller lakes the thermocline is often around 12 to 16 ft while in the larger lakes down here it may be closer to 18 to 22ft.

Offline Iceassin

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #13 on: Jan 23, 2022, 07:56 AM »
Look for the lakes that have had several stockings in the past 3 to 10 years, particularily fall fingerling stockings.  Walleye in SW lower grow fast and reach legal size sometime in year 3 so fish planted in 2019 and earlier should be legal.  The smaller lakes down here aren't anything like the well known walleye lakes to the north, but they do provide an opportunity to catch walleye, especially for those who put the time in to learn the individual lakes.  As for summer, the walleye will be concentrated near the thermocline and will sometimes feed in the warmer waters above it.  The oxygen levels below the thermocline in southern Michigan in the summer go quickly to zero.  In the smaller lakes the thermocline is often around 12 to 16 ft while in the larger lakes down here it may be closer to 18 to 22ft.

What this guy said. Pretty sure he has some good intel.  ;)
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline bluegillJake

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #14 on: Jan 26, 2022, 01:29 PM »
Not as familiar in close to your area, but closer to the lakeshore I know.
1) Paw Paw lake has walleyes, but bad ice
2) Lake Macatawa has walleyes and good ice in places.
Lake Mac is a further drive but you'll have better fishing options with the ice.  Paw Paw is still open in spots and I don't know about the walleyes in the channels.

Offline wingfan87

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #15 on: Jan 27, 2022, 05:40 AM »
Just want to get in a little practice and not go into that tourney never catching a walleye through the ice. Any help would be appreciated.

What information are you looking for?
Places to catch walleye?
To catch a walleye?
Techniques for catching walleye?

If you have ever used a tip up to catch pike, you have done everything needed to catch walleye on a tip up. Exceptions to tip ups for pike versus walleyes could be:
No steel leader
Smaller size treble hook
Single hook
Just enough weight to keep minnow down. To much weight and you'll get some drops.
I always set my minnows 12" to 18" off bottom as walleyes relate to bottom more in the winter. I have heard of people setting tip ups from 12" to 48" or more off of bottom and seeing what the fish are wanting. My experience with minnows set higher in the water column is more pike bites.
Walleye bites on tip ups are different than pike or bass bites. Walleyes tend to hit the minnow and swim a few feet and stop  to finish swallowing the minnow before swimming off. Unlike a pike that takes off after hitting the minnow.

As far as jigging for walleyes..... everything has a time and place.
Meaning:
Whole minnow
Just the minnow head
Where/how the minnow is hooked
Minnow head on front hook, minnow body on back hook, in reference to jigging rap style of lures.
Flutter spoons as in lite weight
Heavy spoons made entirely of lead, like Hali jigs.
Rattle spoons
Flashy spoons
Glow spoons
Painted versus unpainted
Jigging off bottom
Letting the jig smash into the bottom

Dead sticking:
Slip bobber
No bobber
Plain hook, split shot and a minnow
A jig for flash and weight

As I stated before..... every technique has a time and place. Keep trying different techniques until you find one that produces that day.

Hope this helps and Good luck!!

Offline steely456

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #16 on: Jan 27, 2022, 11:41 AM »
Feeding times I have noticed are not the same on small inland lakes vs Saginaw/Erie type waters.  Finding that small window of when active fish are feeding is generally first 45min and last 45min.  After dark action varies too from lake to lake.  If it was easy then everyone would be doing it.
It's easier to catch fish when your not on the computer

Offline wilsonmi

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #17 on: Jan 29, 2022, 08:51 AM »
FYI
The MDNR- Plainwell office is seeking walleye catch information from Wabasis, Lincoln, Bills, Selkirk, Crockery, Sessions, Cedar and Lake of the Woods (Van Buren) and Osterhaut Lakes. Fish length and any fin clip info can help us determine age, growth rates and survival of these stocked fish. Sex of the fish is also helpful. (click to enlarge poster below) Along with fisheries surveys, angler catches are used in the decision making process for continued stocking. The need for angler catch reports can't be stressed enough, especially on the smaller lakes (>200 acres) listed above and below. These reports don't go into the DNR's weekly fishing reports. When looking for a fin clip, one of the ventral fins will be completely or partially gone. Sometimes a portion may remain and often looks deformed or curled. Length and clip information from sub-legal fish from these lakes is also appreciated as long as they go back in the water 🙂. Pictures from belly side are very helpful for the fin clip/no fin clip info also.

Other lakes that we are very interested in hearing catch reports from are Duck Lake (Calhoun), Portage Lake (Jackson), Long, Palmer, Klinger and Clear (St. Joseph), Diamond and Big Fish lake (Cass), Crystal Lake (Montcalm), Paw Paw lake (Berrien), along with Fine and Gun Lake (Barry). Walleye stocked in these lakes may also have fin clips. Some of these lakes listed above have been stocked with spring fingerling walleye for many years prior to switching to fall fingerling plants.

MDNR phone number for Sarah is 269-685-6853 and email is [email protected]

In addition to our solely operated MDNR walleye ponds, many ponds are operated with the help and financial assistance of angler groups including the West Michigan Walleye Club, White Lake Area Sportsfishing Association, Holland Fish and Game Club and the Gun Lake Protective Association.

These reports don't go into the DNR's weekly fishing reports

Offline Moldman52

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Re: SW Walleye
« Reply #18 on: Jan 29, 2022, 11:51 AM »
Klinger lake between Sturgis and White Pigeon has given up a few in the past years as well as Sturgeon lake in Colon which is tied into the St. Joseph river.
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